Ensuring justice for all parties will be one of my main focus: Sumitra Mahajan

Less than two weeks before the Modi government presents its first budget, there is still no clarity on whether the Lok Sabha will have a Leader of Opposition. Lok Sabha SpeakerSumitra Mahajan in an exclusive interaction with ET's Gaurie Dwivedisays that without the Leader of Opposition (LOP) Parliament's functioning will not be impacted and asserts that there have been instances in the past where Opposition parties could not stake claim for the post.

There are still speculations about whether the Government will give Congress the status of Leader of Opposition. By when will a decision on the same be taken?

It's incorrect to assume that the functioning of the House will be impacted if a LOP is not appointed.

There is no opposition party which has the numbers to stake claim to the post. This is not the first time that the Opposition does not have the numbers to have the LOP. There is an earlier precedence; and Parliament functioning was not impacted.

In fact, the appointment of LOP is not just a matter of convention or courtesy; rather a matter of the rules of the House; which are clear that for a party to stake claim to be LOP they need to have 55 seats.

In the present House, there are several parties that have been reduced to single digits; how will you ensure that smaller parties get a chance to be heard?

It's one of the primary responsibilities of the Speaker to ensure that representatives of all parties get a chance to be heard. It's true that numbers in Parliament dictate the time that a party's representative gets in the House and treasury benches will get more time than parties with few seats.

But ensuring justice for all parties will be one of my main focus . I will ensure even parties with just a handful of seats get a chance to speak.

But how will you ensure that Opposition plays a constructive role?

In all committees of Parliament, there will be adequate representation from all parties. On most other functions of the House, including Question Hour, raising issues under rule 377, a ballot system is adopted.

Ballot system ensures fairness and transparency.

What will be some of your other priorities as the Speaker of the Lok Sabha?

Ensuring smooth functioning of the House will be a huge priority for me. I would not like a situation where Parliament functioning is stalled and taxpayers money is wasted.